The Donsol Whale Shark Interaction Center is where visitors register for butanding trips, join boats and receive the briefing on how to behave in the water. The rules are not decorative: no touching, no riding, no feeding, no flash photography and no crowding the shark.
This is the reason Donsol deserves attention. The encounter is less predictable than places that bait whale sharks, but that is exactly why it is the better choice. Go in the main season, listen to the Butanding Interaction Officer, and accept that the animal owes you nothing.